One of the biggest values of owning a home is having some space to enjoy the outdoors. Upgrades to outdoor areas also tend to be less expensive, less time consuming, and overall less intrusive than making upgrades to interior spaces (e.g. home addition). In addition, in a competitive market, having great outdoor living areas might mean the difference between someone purchasing another home that they like and purchasing your home.

When interiors are fairly similar, it's the outdoor areas that become the tipping point between a sale and a home sitting on the market a bit longer. One of the best ways to command top dollar for your home and to help ensure a speedy sale is to offer the new owners plenty of opportunities for outdoor living. Here are three great outdoor living ideas to help you increase your home's value and bring in the price you are looking for.

1. Have a neat and tidy front area

First impressions are truly powerful to a home. They prepare guests (and potential home buyers) for what's to come. So it's no surprise that improving curb appeal is the first thing that real estate agents often recommend. No more neglecting your landscaping! Have some plants, bushes, and shrubs planted to help drastically increase the overall appeal of your home's exterior. A professional landscaper (us!) can help you design a neutral landscape that will appeal to both avid gardeners and garden avoiders alike.

2. Tidy up your deck or patio and maybe add in some upgrades

Decks and patios are relatively inexpensive additions that can add a bundle to the value of your home. If you already have a deck, but it's old, worn, or possibly even rotting, it might be a good idea to have it replaced before putting your home on the market. If you have a patio, consider having it power washed or possibly even resurfaced. The more attractive and well maintained your backyard outdoor living areas are, the greater the value of your home overall will be. Putting in a built-in grill or adding in a fire pit are also two ways that you can make your backyard area more inviting for future owners.

3. Add some privacy

Stuck with tough members? Have a corner lot? Or perhaps to a lot of traffic? No matter how beautiful and perfectly kept your backyard is, a lack of privacy can hurt the potential of a sale. Homeowners need to be able to imagine enjoying their outdoor spaces without seeing the potentially unkept neighbor's yard or seeing cars constantly driving by. The best part is that privacy doesn't necessarily mean the entire backyard has to be closed off. Consider the most important area - such as an area around a patio. Some basic privacy options include plantings, fencing, trees.

Transforming the exterior of your home to create maximum value does not have to be prohibitively expensive. There are any number of relatively easy and inexpensive transformations and upgrades you can make to ensure you get top dollar for your home. By creating great outdoor spaces for future owners, you will double the useful space of your home, which will hopefully double it's appeal and command the price you are looking for.